Ford suddenly withdraws from the Australian market despite winning big?

Specifically, within the framework of the Wolfe 2024 Conference recently held in New York, Ford CEO Jim Farley spoke about the car company's business situation, emphasizing the achievements of the latest generation Ford Ranger pickup truck.

He said 5,000 Raptors have been sold at $150,000 apiece in China, it is the number one vehicle in South Africa and the top seller in Europe. Notably, Jim Farley said: "Ranger is the best-selling vehicle in Australia, where we almost withdrew."

The information given by the Ford CEO made the public feel confused and surprised, when the Ford Ranger recently became the best-selling car model in Australia in 2023. This is the first time a Ford car has won the leading position since 1995.

In 2023, Ford sold a total of 63,356 Ranger vehicles, a significant increase of 33% compared to the previous year. This impressive performance helped the Ranger surpass the Toyota HiLux (sold 61,111 vehicles). The Toyota HiLux has held the title of Australia's best-selling vehicle for 7 consecutive years.

While the Ranger is Ford's best-selling vehicle in Australia, the brand also offers a diverse product line-up including the F-150, Transit, Everest, Mustang Mach-E, Escape and the new Mustang.

Mr Farley's comments could be interpreted as Ford being surprised by the Australian sales despite having largely pulled Ranger production out of the country, but some have interpreted the CEO as suggesting Ford is considering pulling out of the Australian market altogether.

Ford has not yet provided any official information or specific reasons for the above information. However, since 2017, Ford has completely closed its car manufacturing plants in Australia after nearly a century of continuous operation.